The most enjoyable part of my job is that clients soon become friends, that’s the magic of gardens. I designed a garden for Morris and Helen in Altrincham, Cheshire. Morris’s family come from Morocco and they are frequent visitors; so I designed for them an English/Moroccan garden. The research was fascinating and I found that there were connections to Middle Eastern gardens and cultures with those of England.

I was hooked, I made up my mind that I would design a garden for Tatton 2007 influenced by the Middle East. Fortunately Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council’s (OMBC) Parks and Open Spaces Department, who I contacted on the off-chance, said they loved the idea and they would sponsor the back-to-back garden.

As can be seen from the concepts and plan drawings I chose to base the garden around a single geometric shape. Geometric patterns play an important part in formal period English gardens but it is the Islamic culture that turned it into an art form. I found a photo of the inside of a building in Turkey that used tiles embossed with this pattern and I instantly visualised a garden.

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It makes people smile when I explain where I got the idea for this garden. A weekend newspaper’s glossy magazine had an article on brightly coloured eye makeup. The models had vivid designs that exaggerated the shape of their eyes. The oval shapes appealed to me and the idea was born. The concept sketches below show the embryonic process of developing the theme by manipulating shapes and incorporating potential materials and features.

The plan shows the final design with chosen plants. It is a contemporary design with lush planting that would provide privacy while softening the bold lines of the raised planters that form the oval of the eye. It is a misconception that a modern garden cannot have the warmth and familiarity of a cottage garden.

To view more images click here to go to the Gallery page.